The idea behind the Dawn Chorus is simple. People come together, select songs, rehearse then sing at dawn near water. The format is flexible: scale, choice of song, duration and location can all be adapted to available local assets.
Being creative is hopeful. Music stimulates the breath and the brain. Singing together brings communities together. This has multiple benefits on mental health and wellbeing.
The Dawn Chorus was an idea originally devised by Age & Opportunity for the Bealtaine Festival, celebrating the arts and creativity as we age. Age & Opportunity is the national organisation working to improve the quality of life of people aged 50 to 100+, and continues its Dawn and Dusk Chorus this May 2020 as part of Bealtaine At Home.
We hope you can work with us to as we engage communities creatively to support their resilience. We especially hope you will help us to share those benefits with our more fail and isolated citizens and encourage their participation.
Obviously because of Covoid-19 we can only connect at the moment by phone, post or online. This will change over time, but not at the same time for everyone. Our plan takes this into account.
Here’s how you might help.
- There are lyrics of two well known songs in the attached information leaflet – please share them with those you care for, encourage them to join in
- If people can go online musical accompaniment and video available from singireland.ie, The Royal Irish Academy of Music and dawnchorus.ie
- They will be able to sing along with the radio. Keep and eye on dawnchorus.ie and on rte radio for details
There will be local groups in each part of the country who are organising online or from your front door rehearsals. Their details will become available from SingIreland.ie.
How to get started
- Share the songs attached with your people, sing together for fun
- Ask those you care for what they would you like to sing?
- They might have a favourite song? Song from their wedding? Song from their youth? Song they sang at socials? A lullaby they sang to their children? A pop tune or a showband tune?
Everyone is involved on a completely voluntary basis – no one has received fees or payment for their professional and personal contributions. We passionately believe in this idea.
Special thanks goes out to the following individuals. We, literally, could not have done it without them:
Aileen Lambert, Aimee Kearney, Andrew Synnott, AnneMarie Power, Bea Kelleher, Brendan Breslin, Ciara Higgins, Deborah Kelleher, Dermot O’Callaghan, Dominic Campbell, Erik Ryan, Hugh O’Donnell, Isabelle Hourihane, Mark Armstrong, Michael Fortune, Michael O’Reilly, Pauline McNamara, Pauline Rooney, Redmond O’Toole, Sean Moynihan
Supported and inspired by
